The Mental Twins
by BluePeach007
Summary: There's new meta action in Central City, only this time it comes in twos. Two teens seem capable of the perfect heist, and will drive you to insanity while doing it. Will the Flash and his team be able to catch them, or will some people start questioning their sanity? AU of The Flash season 2, season 1 is canon
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Although I am currently working on another story, I couldn't let this one go. Not many things from season 2 will be canon in this fic, but perhaps from time to time I will add something.**

 **I do not own the Flash, only the twins and the storyline.**

* * *

Barry clumsily dashed into Jitters, spilling his armful of papers onto a table and hurrying to the counter. The waitress behind the cash register smiled, recognizing him as a regular. "Late?" she guessed, turning to the coffee maker to start on his usual order.

"A little," Barry blushed, fingers tapping on his thigh, too fast for the naked eye.

The waitress, who's name tag read 'Melanie' laughed, placing a lid on the steamy fresh coffee. "I've never known anyone to be late so often," she commented, handing him his regular, and adding a bagful of fresh baked goods. "Here's 'The Flash' and a couple assorted muffins, as per requested every morning."

"Yeah, well, even when I'm fast I'm late," Barry said, patting his coat down in search for his wallet. "Thanks."

"If you were the Flash I'm sure you wouldn't have that problem," the waitress sighed dreamily, obviously having a bit of a celebrity crush on the masked hero.

"I'm sure," the forensic specialist murmured awkwardly, finally finding his wallet in his right pocket and handing the woman the expense of his drink and food, plus a tip. It got hard to hide his secret, with the Flash so popular these days. Barry couldn't go a day without someone mentioning him.

"Well, have a nice day," Melanie chirped, a little extra perky at the sight of her tip. "Hurry up tomorrow morning, okay?" She waved at him as Barry gathered up his messy papers and took off with a tray for his coffee and a bag of muffins in tow. Shaking her head, Melanie greeted another customer with the same amount of pep, her service with a smile act having to go on until 5 pm that afternoon.

Barry took two swift glances behind each shoulder, before holding tight to his things and dashing off towards the police station at his medium speed. If he went max, he'd lose his grip on his coffee and papers, and end up soaked and in deep trouble with the chief. Captain Singh was already tightly wound without a screw up on his part.

The rush of air blowing in his face, and the building adrenaline was a main reason Barry loved doing what he did. Being a hero seemed easy to withstand when he was allowed to run like this for his off-job.

He ducked into the alleyway beside the station, and quickly dusted himself off before turning the corner and entering the building bustling with policeman. The last thing he needed was a cop to spot him suddenly flashing into the CCPD, out of no where.

"Morning," Barry tried to greet the captain.

"Allen," Singh replied with barely a nod in his direction. "Do you have those papers I filed into your work load?"

"Yes, sir," Barry said, heading up to his lab when Detective Joe West stopped him.

"Bare," his adoptive father called, cutting him off halfway up. "S.T.A.R Labs called, apparently Caitlin couldn'd reach you."

Frowning, Barry reached into his cluttered pockets for his phone. It took him a moment, but he eventually pulled it out to discover that it had been turned off. "Oh, yeah. I switched it off last night so I wouldn't be disturbed during the tests I was running."

"How long did you stay here after hours?" Joe questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Barry shrugged, pursing his lips guiltily. "I don't know, a few." Joe gave him a scorning look, hands lifting the flaps of his jacket as he placed them on his hips, revealing his gun belt.

"Well, you better get down to S.T.A.R Labs, I'll cover for you here." Story of Joe's life. Barry flashed him an appreciative look, stuffing his father's hands with the papers he was still carrying, before heading back out the front doors with his coffee and muffins.

"Oh," the 26 year old stopped, turning to Joe with the bag from Jitters raised. "Do you want a muffin?" Joe slouched his shoulders, looking at Barry like he had grown two heads.

"No, now go."

Barry rushed to S.T.A.R Labs, attempting to take a sip of his coffee mid-run. The hot liquid warmed him from the inside out, but as soon as he got caught off guard dodging a car, it scorched his chest mercilessly. "Ah!" He ran into the lab, fanning the collar of his shirt and jaw gaped in pain. "Ah, ah, ah!"

"Trying the drinking thing while flashing?" Cisco asked, looking rather amused. Barry exchanged his wet shirt for a S.T.A.R Labs' hoody, noticing the slight red splotch where the coffee had burned his skin.

"I shouldn't multi-task," Barry groaned, falling into a desk chair by the computer system. "So, what's up?"

"What's up?" Caitlin stormed in, tablet pressed against her chest as she strut over to the speedster. "Meta action is what's up!" She glared at Barry for a second, before flipping the device in her hand over to catch him up. "Given the fact that many of the prior meta-humans' abilities were hard to detect as such, we're getting the CCPD and their meta-opp to instantly download to us any information on the unsolved and undefineable cases, through Joe of course." Barry grabbed the tablet from the scientist's hand with interest. "We then use this small USB to simply scan for any meta-human detection."

"Okay ... so you found one?" Barry prompted her. Cait had a tendency to over-explain, but not get right to the point she was trying to make.

"Two, actually," Cait's eyes sparkled in her excitement. She slid a finger across the tablet, switching to another screen to reveal side-by-side mugshots. Barry stiffled a laugh.

"Those are teenagers." Indeed they were. Some teens made it easy for someone to believe they were convicts, but these two hardly looked the part. The girl, with wild red hair, had pained eyes and a desperate expression. The boy had a soulful appearance, probably quiet in nature. If anything, they found themselves on the wrong side of the law by accident.

"Very dangerous teenagers, dude," Cisco murmured, sticking a lollipop in his mouth. "Show him the footage, Cait." Barry's eyebrows creased together as Dr. Snow went to her computer and started typing something in.

"This was their recent heist, but not the first time either of them got on the police's radar," Caitlin explained, a video feed popping up. "They've been commiting petty crimes for years to get by on the streets. The two have been arrested five times and sent to juvenile detention twice." She tilted the screen down, and aimed it so Barry could see better. "But the thing is, they dropped off the grid about a year and a half ago, being released from juvie randomly, and haven't been seen since ... until yesterday."

The two teens walked into view of the first camera angle at the shopping centre. "Why, were they transferred, or did someone post bail?" Barry asked, focusing on the recording.

"No, they were instituted," Cait's voice went low.

Barry glanced up at her in confusion. "Like at a mental ward?" Caitlin nodded, and Cisco went quiet.

"A few months after the particle accelorator exploded, the boy claimed he was hearing voices during his prison medical check-up and the girl just sort of snapped for no known reason." Turning back to the computer screen, Barry watched in horror as the two teens linked arms and rushed past the security guard that was in front of them, who didn't seem to register their presence at all. Once they were passed him, the girl looked back and glared, grasping her brother's hand tighter in focus. The guard in turn pointed at nothing, pressed his hands to his temples, and dropped to his knees in a shivering panic. "The footage goes on to show every person in that mall face a similar fate as the guard, and the two walking out with new clothes on their backs and a bag of cash from a couple of the stores' registers," Caitlin sounded dumbfounded and a little edgy.

"It seems like an intricate plan for just a few hundred or thousand, and some clothes," Barry ran his fingers through his hair, cringing at the sight of a mother and daughter shaking as they held each other tight, heads flinging in every direction as if they were surrounded. When the footage ended, the whole mall seemed to have gone insane. "How are the victims?"

Cait gave Cisco a look, before biting her lip and replying, "Unresponsive. Most are at the hospital, acting like mental patients instead of the sane, healthy citizens they were before the attack."

"Is there hope for recovery?" Barry prodded, worried.

"Maybe," Caitlin sounded unsure, which was something everyone knew she hated.

Picking up the tablet, Barry stared at the photos of the boy and girl in disbelief. "Elijah and Sabena Reynolds. Are they siblings?"

"Twins," Cisco replied, chewing on the stem of his lollipop. "Apparently they had a hard go at life. Their file from the CCPD dates back before they even stole their first candy."

"How far?"

"From when they were eight and their mother was arrested for murder and attempted murder," Caitlin answered. "Their mother suffered from mental health issues and took a turn for the worse several years back. She refused to go on pills according to her medical records, and was about to be taken to an institution when she stabbed and killed her husband and left her children in critical condition. She's in solitary confinement at the ward so she won't hurt anybody else, while getting the help she needs." Dr. Snow's eyes were saddened, as she pressed her lips together.

"Well, that explains their break down," Barry mumbled. A depressing back story always brought out the compassion in him. His life would be very different without Joe, maybe these twins just needed a bit of guidance. "Do you know where they are now?"

Caitlin shook her head, disappointed. "They're laying low."

"We'll find them," Cisco chimed in. "We'll bring these .. these mental twins in." His eyes lit up. "Oh, that's their name, enough said."

"Do they get seperate identities or ..." Barry almost laughed. Though this one was a bit of a heart-wrencher, Cisco managed to lighten the mood.

"Twins, man," his friend said. "Meta-human twins. They _are_ their conjorned identity." Barry rolled his eyes, while Cait merely smiled.

* * *

"Bean, they're going to find us," Eli was saying, as he was packing their newest stolen money into the duffle bag with the rest of the cash they were storing before they were arrested and instituted. The boy was sweating, wide eyes darting around the boarded up house. This place had been their sanctuary for years, long before the bad guys locked them up, and his sister wanted it to be their home now. He didn't agree, being more paranoid than he had ever been.

Slurred thoughts echoed in the back of his mind, definitely not his own, forcing their way into the forefront. They were talking, laughing voices; drunk thoughts. "Agh, more voices!" He hit his head angrily several times, eyes squeezing shut in frustration. Elijah's sister, Sabena, sat on the dirty red armchair next to the window, lifting the end of the ripped curtain to take a peek outside. She instantly straightened.

"Yeah, well, I think I just found the owners of them," she whispered, ordering him to get down. "Our party is about to be crashed by some intoxicated idiots!"

Elijah obeyed his sister, creeping up beside her to take a look for himself. Mind reading sounded like such a cool ability to five year old him, dreaming about superheroes. What they don't tell you in the comic books is how much of a nusance it can be when you're unable to filter. He knew every thought going through anybody's head at every given moment, and when they were close enough he read them without meaning to. Sabena couldn't relate, she could drive people to insanity, instead of being insane herself.

"Shut up so I can tamper with their minds," Sabena hissed, crouching down and closing her eyes. Eli frowned. He hadn't even said anything and he was in trouble with his sister. Typical.

"What are they going to see?" Elijah whispered in his sister's ear, suddenly nervous when the footsteps stomped up the creaky steps, and the door knob twisted open.

"Sh!"

An invisible wave radiated from Sabena, spreading around the room, which appeared unchanged to Eli – but his twin wasn't mindwarping him.

It was just in time. Three wavering drunks stumbled into the abandoned house, one having a bottle of brownish tinged liqour in his hand. Two males, and one female.

"Woah," the one with the alcohol slurred, looking around. "This place is totally creepy, dude." Elijah rolled his eyes. It was pathetic, really, to witness the effects of overdrinking.

"What was that!?" the girl screeched, her shaky arm jetting out and pointing around the room with unfocused precision. Sabena tightened her face, clearly working on a scene for these poor fools to see. It wasn't like it was necessary, though, hallucinations were bound to start during this period of drunkenness anyway.

The three gathered together, eyes peeled for the figures of the noises they were obviously hearing. Eli snickered, deciding to join in.

" _Get out!"_ he transmitted to them in an evil, ghostly tone, a mere voice in their heads. _"Get oooouuut!"_

"Th-this plasse is haunttted," the third drunk managed to stutter with fear and an alcohol-induced system.

Sabena smiled, knowing the work of her brother when she heard it. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead as she aimed for the big finish she couldn't help but add: The object these three feared the most – which meant there'd most likely be three different stories told by them tomorrow about what resides in the building. Sabena gripped Elijah's hand, figuring out exactly what the fears were for these particular few, and smiled when she got her answer.

The one with the liqour screamed, clutching his friends, climbing over them in an attempt to get away, pointing at something that wasn't there. The bottle was flung at a wall, the remaining contents spraying out along with the scattering of broken glass.

The girl was backing away, eyes buldged, before she collapsed to the floor in a pitiful heap, convulsing.

The third was frozen in his fear, mouth gaped, and eyes watering.

Taking this as an opportunity, Elijah quickly snatched their getaway bag with all the cash and clothes they'd collected, and scurried out the back door, his twin sister following suit. He high fived her in praise, before checking behind him and starting to dash to a more secure, second location. Sabena was two steps behind him, ready if she had to mindwarp anyone on their way.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2! I must say, I wasn't very motivated to write this one. Who knew the Flash was so hard to write for, huh:P Thank you guys for having your interests peeked, I love that and I hope I don't fail you now.**

 **Casey Storm- SURPRISE! I love the Flash, as you know, and wanted to write something. Let's just say I'm highly impatient and couldn't wait, even though I should have. Thank you so much! It means I lot to me that you see my attempts at staying IC. I did have a good day and WILL keep writing!**

 **Dancer4Jesus- Aw, thanks so much! Your sister and you picked a good show.**

 **Walter- Thanks! I'll keep on going, no worries!**

 **Jem Juliette Jewels Jade- Well, here it is!**

* * *

Elijah blinked, fidgeting uncomfortably as he and his sister pushed themselves through the busy streets. His head was jumbled, over-crowded, and throbbing. The people walking parallel and opposite them just wouldn't shut up. The things they thought about was useless information, not worthy to be heard, yet Eli couldn't block them out. Reminders, memories, events, worries, there were countless things a person could be thinking of in the span of one minute. Eli slowed his pace unintentionally.

Sabena had to take the lead, grabbing her brother's arm and dragging him along roughly. They didn't have time for stalling, even for her crazy twin. The young teen weaved her way around people, ducking into alleys when she became suspicious of somebody. Elijah would have been helpful in this particular situation, but Sabena would be surprised if he could pick out one thought from a thousand. She was on her own, and in a crowd like this that made her nervous.

Jumping at a loud honk, the female twin breathed out when she saw it was just a truck driver's angry retort to being cut off. Her own anger flared then, replacing anxiety, and she glanced around her in exasperation. "That does it!" she hissed, shutting her eyes and locking in on her ability. She tightened her hold on Eli's hand, keeping their connection alive as she searched for something all these people could fear equally. A giant gorilla hanging from a city building, an explosion, or maybe an earthquake. The girl settled on making these people believe the person next to them was trying to kill them. Smiling evilly, she expanded her mindwarp to everyone within a mile radius of herself and Elijah.

Men and women all around the twins suddenly screamed out or begged, some even fought their 'attackers' in defense. The whole street, and the whole few streets ahead were raised in commotion, and Sabena pulled her brother through the ruffled crowd to get through and to their next location. "Hang in there, Eli," she comforted, lowering her arm to his shoulder to guide him more gently. Eli tried to smile in appreciation, but the thoughts that were running through his head had now changed to darkness and danger, and he sensed it all. Sabena meant well, but when she effected those around her with her ability, she was most of the time hurting him too.

Soon, the two left the city limits, and the blaring police sirens and other first responders, behind. Elijah's tie with everybody but Sabena was cut, and his own thoughts could be heard and dechiphered once again. He bent down for a second break, sucking in gasps of air to build concentration in his brain. After being so cluttered, his mind was taking a minute to catch up with freedom.

"There, there," Sabena mocked, but there was a hint of sincerity in her tone.

Elijah brushed her hand off his back, straightening and peering around him. "Where are we?"

"Just outside the borders of Central City," Sabena answered, glancing at their surroundings as well. "It's the only place we can be at peace." Eli nodded. It was certainly the only place, remaining close to home that is, that he didn't have to focus on a bunch of thoughts, and just read his own and his sister's.

They walked off the road, heading to a few bushes to hide themselves behind while resting. Elijah clutched the duffle he still had with him. "We nearly have enough," he mumbled, plopping himself beside his twin in exhaustion and unzipping the bag wearily. He sifted through the stacks and crumbled up pieces of cash, yanking out two sweaters. "Here."

"Thanks," Sabena leaned against a rock as she took the cozy attire, squinting up at the sun. "Who knew plane tickets for three cost so much." Elijah grimaced, laying on his back and closing his eyes.

* * *

Barry bit his lip as he watched the ambulance take the three deluted teenagers away, lights flashing but sirens quiet. He didn't need to assess the abandoned shack they were in to know what caused this. The chief wanted to write this off as a drunken night going too far, but overdrinking didn't cause paranoia. The speedster knew who did, though.

"Barry, you shouldn't be here," Joe murmured. "If Captain Singh knew you were here-"

"Joe, those three were behaving the exact same way as the victims at the mall," Barry interrupted, pulling his hand through a pair of blue rubber gloves. "There is a connection."

"Maybe so," Joe didn't disagree. "But your not technically allowed to be here."

"I just need a look around, try to figure those two meta-twins out."

The detective appeared defeated, glaring at his adopted son, but giving in by simply backing off.

Barry squinted, heading up the rickety steps to the upstairs. The place seemed pretty straightforward. Any furniture left was covered in sheets and dust.

The forensics scientist lifted a flap of a white blanket, peeking at the table and chairs under it. Unused and very old. Nothing screamed out to him, until he walked passed the second floor's third room. The layout of the room caught his eye, as well as the messy but recently active sprawl of things. Clothes and trinkets lined the cleaned dresser and floor, new bedsheets were neatly tucked onto the mattress, and the closest was haphazardly flung open in a rush. Barry backed up his steps, slowly entering the once abandoned room. This particular area had been used, unlike every other part of upstairs and most of downstairs. If his theory was correct, and at this point the speedster was ready to completely jump the gun, Elijah and Sabena Reynolds had taken refuge here in the past and present.

Smiling widely, Barry went through any item that looked out of place from the rest of the decor. Most of what he found was worthless, but painted a clear picture. Photographs in gently used picture frames, books with finger oil stains, and files and files of papers on the institution of one Ellie Reynolds and the many arrests of her kids. Barry's heartbeat thumped louder in his chest at the latest discovery, and he held the papers up to the light. That break-in at the police station almost two years ago made so much sense now. The only things stolen were these very files, and given that the twins supposedly had an alibi they weren't prosecuted.

Gathering the loose papers, Barry shoved them in his bag, and shuffled back out of the room. He tried to play it cool descending the stairs, but he tripped on the last steps and stumbled into Captain Singh.

"Allen," the captain spoke in monotone.

"Captain Singh," Barry winced, noticing his boss' hard look. Although, Singh almost always looked like that.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just ... assessing, sir," Barry answered quickly. He removed his gloves guiltily, tucking them into his coat pocket.

"Assessing?" Captain Singh raised an indignant eyebrow. "Last time I checked, your assistance was not required for this particular case."

"I called him down here," Joe stepped in, giving Barry a look, before attempting to repair the damage. "I thought we could use him."

"You thought we could use him on a cut and dry drunk case?"

"... Yep," Joe wasn't convincing.

"Look, Allen, get your ass back over to the station," Singh sighed, choosing to ignore the situation instead of dealing with it. He had learned many times to brush aside some of the antics performed by Barry. "You have your _real_ job waiting for you there."

"Yes, sir," Barry mumbled, clutching his bag slumped over his shoulders protectively.

" _All units report to Main Street,"_ a voice from several of the cops' radios spoke. _"We have a street wide fight in progress. I repeat, we need all hands."_

"On our way," Joe said through the radio strapped to his jacket.

Singh and Joe marched off, within seconds the whole area was cleared of the police cars that were taking up space, leaving Barry behind with his bag and the files. He paused for a moment, pursing his lips, before speeding off to S.T.A.R Labs, chucking his handbag at a bewildered Cisco, and changing into his Flash suit midrun. They might kick Barry Allen out, but no one would ever turn down the services of the masked hero.

He pumped his arms, following the street signs to get to Main. He sped past a block, only to screech to a halt and turn around. There, and everywhere within a mile of here, had people either at each other's throats or screaming and crying in fear. It somewhat reminded Barry of the Rainbow Raider, but these people were driven by an obvious terror.

"Cisco," the Flash pressed on his ear piece. "Cisco I think I found the twins."

" _Really? That's awesome!"_ Cisco's voice exclaimed. _"Ask them what they think of the name Mental Twins, I don't know if they'll take offence to that or-"_

" _Barry, it's Caitlin. Do you see them?"_

"No, but I found the aftermath of them," Barry murmured, prying a knife from a girl's shaky hands only to get pepper-sprayed from the elderly woman beside her. "Ah!" He cringed, rubbing at his eyes while attempting to squeeze the pain away. "I'm the Flash, ma'am!" The grey-haired woman took off running in the opposite direction, flailing her arms in a panic.

"Bare," Joe noticed him hunched over now. "Bare, it's good you're here- what's wrong?"

"I just got maised," Barry moaned, blinking his eyes and trying to regain vision.

"That's just they thing," Joe said. "These people aren't acting out in rage, but in fear."

"Thank the Mental Twins for that one," Barry mumbled, eyes shot red.

"What?"

"Nevermind," Barry realized the cops on the few blocks trying to detain the terrified citizens, and decided to speed up the process. He sped about, placing as many vicitms as he could into ambulances and police cars, and the rest in the hands of the officers' themselves.

He stopped to regain his thoughts and saw Iris jogging down sidewalk, and as soon as she ducked under the police tape it was mostly cleared of people. She had a pen and paper in hand and her eyes lit up when she saw the red suit.

"Barry!" she said in a whisper, stopping herself before she embraced him. His identity wouldn't be a well-kept secret if that image got out.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's all over the news, I thought I'd come down for some eye witness reports and to have a look for myself," Iris explained, peering around her. "Is this the same thing that happened at the mall?" Barry nodded, eyebrows furrowing under his mask.

"Do you think it's a meta-human?" Iris prodded him for answers.

"Two, actually," Barry admitted, dodging a fist as a victim got away from an officer and aimed to punch him.

"Two? Are they working as a team?"

"They seem to be," Barry answered sheepishly. He didn't want to tell Iris who these two were. The Flash was being bested by a couple of teenagers, and if _that_ got around ... Of course, Iris wouldn't tell a soul.

" _Barry, any sign of the twins_ _anywhere?"_ Caitlin asked over the intercom, sounding concerned.

Barry squinted, focusing on his surroundings and the bypassers standing around to watch. No face stood out and none looked suspsious enough to check out. "No," Barry finally said in defeat.

Iris frowned, before realizing that he was speaking into his ear piece. "Can I help?"

"Depends," Barry said, smiling a little. "Do you want to interview a bunch of mental ward patients?"


	3. Chapter 3

**My apologies guys! I usually don't allow so long a time to pass me by without an update!**

 **CHAPTER 3! Short, but it's here.**

 **walter- Thank you! They'll meet soon((:**

 **Thanks all for expressing interest by following or favoriting or reviewing!**

* * *

"Do you remember what you saw that day?" Iris asked, gripping at her pen in intense interest towards her sixth interview. The man she had migrated to this time was the farthest from the entrance, curled up in a tight ball of solitude. He had been a healthy citizen a week prior, or so she was told. Iris wasn't sure she believed the nurse now that she was looking at this George Jeffery.

"I-I-I wa-wa-was surrounded by-by-by-by d-d-darkness," George's eyes popped, his stutter worsening as he remembered the incident. "B-b-b-bright dar-ar-ar-arkness, and it was t-t-t-talking, it wa-wa-wa-wanted to-to-to-to-to k-k-k-kill me."

Iris frowned, biting on her bottom lip. Her's and Barry's statements today were accounting for nothing, just like she hoped they wouldn't. "Okay, you saw a dark lightness ...? Who wanted to kill you?"

"No-no-no," the man corrected. "A b-b-bright dar-dar-dar-darkness!"

"Okay? Who wanted to kill you?" Iris repeated in patience.

"The darkness! He-he-he wa-wa-wa-was evil!" The man pulled at his hair, and clawed his right hand until his skin turned pink and sore.

"Uh, nurse?" Iris started to back up, beckoning someone to come handle the patient.

"George, no!" One of the people on duty sighed, running over and yanking the man's hands apart. "Breath, George, okay? We taught you how to deal with your fears in a way that won't harm you." Iris left then, peering back for a moment to see if the nurse had a firm handle on the situation. Mr. Jeffery seemed to be calming down well.

Giving Barry a head shake in response to his unvoiced question, the journalists tried to search for a more stable looking victim, someone who wouldn't remote to physical harm and who she had a chance to get a real answer out of.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Iris spotted a rather lucid looking woman, tucked comfortably at a table, playing checkers by herself. Dark bags shadowed her eyes, but the blue optics themselves looked sane and friendly. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all," the short woman's voice cracked slightly.

"It's about that day at the mall, I wanted to understand what you saw," Iris continued gently, sliding into the chair across from the lady. She had curly brown hair tied pin-up in a ponytail, with grey hospital pants to match the dull attire of the whole ward.

The young woman winced at the memory, but objected nothing.

"First off, what's your name?" Iris smiled, trying to warm this patient up to her a bit.

"Sylvia," the woman answered quietly.

"Hello, Sylvia," Iris greeted, lifting her notepad and pen up to the table. "So what happened that day? Do you remember anything?"

"I remember everything," Sylvia said bleakly. "We all were hit something bad with insanity juice and shipped off here."

"It was for your own protection and health," Iris comforted, placing her hand on the patient's cold one.

Sylvia shook her head. "None of us are crazy, you know." Iris pressed her lips together, furrowing her eyebrows. "I can tell you don't believe that, but it's true."

"Sylvia, I-"

"Look, we've all seen things here, things that our brain can't process because it wasn't real," Sylvia argued. "I know that sounds a lot like some mental person, but tell me this, what's the definition of insane?"

"A state of mind that prevents normal behaviour, interactions, perception ..."

"Exactly, and where is one insane?" Sylvia didn't wait for an answer as she tapped her temple. "In here."

"Okay ...?" Iris leaned back in her chair, confused. "Where are you going with this, Sylvia."

"Well, young lady, I believe someone tweaked with my head, made me lose my cookies," Sylvia smacked her lips together. "And you know who?"

"Who?"

"Those two baby-faced teenagers on the news. They did this to us," the woman gestured to the patients all around her. "But jokes on them, cause it's only temporary."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't belong here anymore, I'm as lucid as the day I became manager of my own company," Sylvia bit her lip and leaned back in her chair. "I'm getting out of here." Iris sighed and looked over at the nurse standing by. The woman gently shook her head to that remark, causing the reporter to scooch away and get up.

"Okay," Iris breathed. "Well, thank you very much, Sylvia ... I'll see you ... around." Sylvia smiled, and returned to her checkers board.

"Hey, how's it going?" Barry walked up to Iris, looking rather defeated himself. Apparently, neither were having any luck with the victims.

"I've been told many different conspiracy theories," Iris pressed her mouth together firmly. "Many of which were backed up by thorough 'proof', so how's it going on your end?" Barry slouched.

"Honestly, I've been getting nothing," he sighed, scratching the back of his head. That was obvious enough, but Iris asked anyway, only to get the answer she had expected.

"Maybe we should just head out and regroup," Iris suggested. "The longer we waste time here the more chance those two teenagers have at getting away."

Barry nodded. "Yeah, maybe you're right ..."

"Psst." The two friends looked at each other, confused.

"Psst."

Iris peeked over reluctantly to a patient hovering behind her. She was a tall, slim girl who had bright green eyes and tangled red hair; she wore a very suspicious smile. "I hear you have a .a," she emphasized every syllible with clicks of her tongue.

"How did you-" Barry was interrupted by the woman putting her lanky finger to his lips.

"Sh, I don't have much time," she whispered. "I cannot even tell you my name for lack of it." Iris wanted to step in there, and contradict her, but the writer's tactics had been rendered useless since hers and Barry's arrival. "The person you are looking for is Ellie Reynolds. You want answers she's your ATM."

"What?" Barry furrowed his bushy eyebrows.

"Ellie ... Reynolds," the strange patient exaggerated the last name with a low voice and a creepy tone, before backing away and ducking behind a pillar.

Barry was left speechless.

"Clincally insane, but she may be right," Iris mused. Barry stared at her.

"Are these people rubbing off on you because-"

"Look, I know the story, Cait let me read the file," Iris argued. "But we're not left with a lot of options and _perhaps_ she might give us helpful information."

"Iris, she's been locked up in solitary confinement for years," Barry retorted. "I don't know-"

"Do you have a better idea?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cause if you do I want to hear it." She folded her arms together and waited.

Barry played with his hands, thinking, and murmured something too quiet to hear.

"What was that?"

"I said-," Barry mumbled again.

"Hm?"

"No, I don't," Barry finished, rolling his eyes at his best friend's victorious smile.

"Then, we're off."

"How? You most likely need a special clearance to get into solitary," Barry said. "They wouldn't go through so much trouble to confine certain patients by themselves to just-" As Barry rambled in protest, Iris quickly tucked her hand into a nurse's pocket and pulled out an ID card. The man then passed by without noticing, too busy with the charts in his hands to heed any care. The journalist waved it in her friend's face, and folded it under her arm, racing out of the room.

Barry remained in the room alone for a moment, unable to catch up with what just happened. He gaped his mouth, and took a double glance around the area.

Iris dashed back in, grabbed her adopted brother by the arm, and began dragging him along. "The Flash indeed," she chuckled under her breath.

"Are you all through with your inquiries already?" the receptionist behind the counter asked kindly.

Barry looked towards Iris, before giving an awkward, "Mm hm." The woman smiled politely, returning to her desk of papers to fill out. The gawky man grasped his friend by the arm, made sure no one was watching, and flashed down the corridors leading to a flight of stairs. The wall marked _Solitary Confinement, Authorized Personal Only_. The two were down in a second, Iris having to use the ID first, and a gust of wind blew in girl's face when her adopted brother finally stopped.

"Question, why didn't you flash through everything to begin with?" Iris joked.

"I don't know..." Barry mumbled.

"You're such a dweeb," Iris laughed, starting down the winding hallway, and peeking through the windows to see earch patient inside. "You know what Ellie Reynolds looks like, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Barry said. "I saw her mugshot." He ran through the rest of the instituted and confined hallway, catching a glimpse of an older woman through his periphial vision. "Iris, I found her!" he yelled.

"Sh!" the journalist scolded, trying to follow the sound of his voice. In his search, Barry had ran down three different hallways. It grew to be a maze the farther you went from the entrance.

Iris spotted her best friend, sighed with relief, and peered into the one clear wall at the patient inside. The woman was frightening looking, something like a ghost. The years of solitary had taken its toll.

Barry waved awkwardly to get Ellie's attention, but she continued to stare through the window, motionless and unresponsive.

"She can't see us," Iris murmured. "It's one-sided glass."

"Oh, right," Barry lowered his arm. "Shall we?" He seemed to really have asked that as a question.

Iris was just as unsure. "Yes, yes, we have to." Breathing out in reassurance to herself, the writer swiped the keycard in front of the scanner, buzzed in immediately. Iris peeked her head in, drawing the older woman's attention to her.

"I knew you'd come," Ellie smiled widely, fingers tapping against her temple almost like a nervous tick.

Iris gave Barry an uncertain look, but the two walked in anyway. "I'll let Caitlin know where we are." Barry decided, intentionally forcing Iris to make the first move.

"Hey, Ellie."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry guys! I'd be lying if I said my life was too busy to be writing. I've just been procrastinating, but sometimes my best writing comes from waiting so ... I don't know**

 **Wintershadow35- Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! This is not my most popular fanfic, but you are a reader and you are out there, so that will make it worthwhile!**

 **walter- Heyyyy, thanks so much! You're really too kind *blush blush***

* * *

"Eli!" Sabena hissed, shoving her brother's shoulder. She hated to disturb him whenever he slept, since that was his only moment of peace, but her skin crawled with unusual tension. "Eli, wake up!" Her twin groaned.

"What?" his voice was groggy, but he managed to open his eyes to slits.

"Something's wrong," Sabena murmured.

"Nothing's wrong, Bean," Elijah insisted tiredly, stabilizing himself with two shaky arms. "It's just your ima-" Eli cut himself short, a far distanced ringing in his ears. "Do you hear that?"

Sabena rolled her eyes. He asked her that very question a dozen times per day, and each time her answer was no, it was only him. "No..."

"Sirens, voices," Eli honed in on a few in particular. "The CCPD has called in reinforcements ..."

"What for?" Sabena muttered, sloping her posture.

"Well, police tend to do that to try to avoid a major catastrophe," Elijah responded, with a short tempered look towards his sister. "I told you we shouldn't leave so many casualties."

"They all deserved it," the girl breathed. "You know they did, you heard what they were thinking, you showed me what they were thinking."

"Everyone does things that-"

"Whose side are you even on?" Sabena questioned.

"Yours," Eli moaned. "Trust me, okay."

"You're the psycho mind reader, trust yourself," Sabena growled. "The only person that matters and who we matter to is our mom. Don't let compassion for _them_ break you. Stick to the plan."

Elijah gnawed on his lip for a moment, analyzing his sister's mood before responding. Saying the wrong thing now wouldn't be helpful. "You're right, I'm sorry." No, he wasn't, but he still wanted to same thing Sabena did.

"Good," her anger drained immediately, and the twin moved closer to her brother. "We need to get to the second hideaway to regroup and figure out our next mission. We don't have enough money yet ... we could just go straight for the big one and hit the bank."

"We've been over that before," Elijah said. "No banks."

Sabena sighed. "What is it with you and banks?" It was rhetorical, but Eli wouldn't have answered even if his sister did insist on one. "Anyway, let's wait for the reinforcements to pass, if they ever show up, and head out." Elijah nodded, smiling smugly at Sabena when sirens started down the road, right on time. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," Eli said, beaming.

"You were thinking it."

"Oh, so who's the psycho mind reader now?"

"You, moron."

* * *

"Flash," Ellie replied simply, peering behind Iris at Barry, causing him to stop breathing. How could she possibly know his secret identity? The emphasis lays on the secret part.

"Excuse me?" Barry tried to keep his voice level. "I'll call you back, Cait." Hanging up on the scientist, the forensics specialist stumbled inside the small, isolated room. The whole area was devoid of color, like everything else in the institution, except for an abstract painting in the right corner.

"The flash on your phone's camera is on," Ellie said, pointing towards Barry's pocket.

Relieved, the 26 year old quickly checked to see if the patient was right, surprised to find out she was. "How did you ..."

Ellie tapped on her temples again, eyes twitching. "I sense things."

Barry opened his mouth to reply, but Iris stepped between the two. "Ellie, we are working a case that we believe you could really help us out with."

"You don't have clearance," Ellie mumbled, biting her fingernails absentmindedly.

"What?" Iris asked.

"You're not allowed down here, Jill won't like you."

"Jill will understand, I promise," Iris insisted, crouching down to be face to face with the patient.

Ellie nodded her head, pressing her chapped lips together while her eyes darted around the room. "You're here because of my kids."

"Yes," Iris answered slowly.

"They are gifted, aren't they?" Ellie broke into a smile, wrinkles crinkling upwards.

"Yes, very gifted," Barry murmured. "But they're hurting a lot of good people, they need redirection." He attempted to lower his hand down on the patient's shoulder, but she squeaked and shied away. Iris brushed him off before their position was made.

"I cannot help you," Ellie refused. "My loyalty lies with my children. They're just going to lock them up and throw away the key."

"Not necessarily," Iris said. "My friend and I deal with people like them everyday, we _can_ help them."

"You won't, you won't," Ellie moaned, rocking back and forth. "They considered locking me down here helping, but I spend my days alone."

"They won't be alone, Elijah and Sabena have the one thing that you gave them, each other," Barry promised, searching for some more words to say that would help the ill woman understand.

"Each other ... yes, they always have that," Ellie smiled, shutting her eyes. "I gave them that, I gave them that."

Iris peered up at her adopted brother, giving him a thumbs up. They had her. "We need your help to find them. They've gone off grid."

"They – they," Ellie's eye twitched. "They found an abandoned house once, called it their castle."

"We know, we've been there," Barry said. "It's a beautiful place, but they're not there. We need you to think, is there anywhere else Elijah and Sabena would go?"

"Eli and Bean," Ellie corrected, gaze distant as she thought of her loving nicknames.

"Eli and Bean," Barry changed, patient.

"If they felt hunted, they would get out of the city. Eli, the thoughts hurt him so much. Sabena, she just doesn't like crowds," Ellie's fond memories effected her delivery of an answer.

"Where, where would they go?" Barry prompted, bug eyed. They couldn't let those two get very far from city limits, they were Central City's problem.

"To our home, the last place I lived with my husband and babies," Ellie sighed, leaning back. "Such a darling, quaint place. Hidden from the city, it was so quiet. So lovely ... no white picket fence, but it had a blue door." Barry tapped Iris on the shoulder, and backed out the door to leave. Fixing his shirt, he flashed off.

"Oh, dear, oh my," Ellie marveled. "He's gifted like my children. So special."

"Gifted like you?" Iris questioned.

"What?"

"How long have you been able to sense things?"

"Since that doctor's storm maker turned on," Ellie answered. "Or at least that's what Jill tells me."

"Jill knows about you?"

"She's all I've got to talk to," Ellie reprimanded. "Of course she knows."

Iris nodded uneasily, fixing herself to go when the patient caught her by the sleeve. "Don't hurt by babies. They aren't bad, they've just lost their way and will do anything to find it again."

"I'll try my best to help them," Iris agreed, but a feeling tugged away at her that reminded her that she might not quite be able to do that.

* * *

Barry pumped his arms, flying into S.T.A.R. Labs and stirring up the loose items in from of Caitlin. "Get your search engine up," he spoke quickly, leaning forward to stare at the screen. "Type in any lone houses along the city's main street that leads out of the limits."

"That's really vague, Bare," Dr. Snow told him, her fingers typing away as she spoke. "How far out of the way?"

Barry paused, thinking and analyzing. Ellie didn't seem to enjoy solitude very much, but the house had to be a few miles away for the twins to feel safe. "Try anything within four miles."

"That's better," Cait said, hitting enter. Three possible places popped up.

"That one," Barry pointed at the second. "It fits the vague description I heard."

"From who?" Cisco asked, slurping on a slushy as he approached.

"Ellie Reynolds," Barry scanned the information and coordinates quickly, eyes flicking up and down at high speeds.

"Is that why your cell was getting such bad service?" Caitlin questioned, raising a threatening eyebrow. "Barry, she's not stable-"

"She's a reliable source, trust me."

"I don't doubt that, but did you not see what she is capable of?" Cait went on, bringing up the article from 7 years ago.

" _Was_ , was capable of," Barry argued, dashing into his Flash costume and running off to the city limit's sign. Cait peered after him, eyes sad.

"Ever since Iris found out-" Caitlin was cut off by Cisco's amused gaze. She pressed her lips together and went back to figuring out what possible powers they could be dealing with.

"Dr. Snow, are you jealous?" Cisco said, plopping down at his own desk, fiddling with a new toy he was designing.

"No," she answered quickly, snuffing out any more conversation pieces revolving the topic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow ..**

 **I haven't posted in so long a time that there's dust on my fanfic**

 **walter- Thank you so much! My apologies that right before the holidays was the last time you heard of me. Your continued support and writing love is very encouraging!(:**

 **I've had little muse for this fanfic, but I think I can kickstart it back again! Sorry everyone, and Happy Leap Day!**

* * *

The red streak came to an abrupt halt, the Flash glancing around him in search of the house. He'd already ran five miles outside Central City's perimeter, and yet not even a lamppost was in sight. Taking out his cellphone, Barry dialled quickly.

"Hey, Caitlin?" he breathed through the phone, squinting to try to see clearer. Fog had descended as he ran, and now that his speed was no longer blowing it away from him, it was slowly covering the fields and grass around him.

" _Barry?_ " Dr. Snow spoke from the other side of the conversation.

"Yeah, can you recheck the coordinations we calculated?" the Flash asked. "There's nothing out here."

"Keep going, Barry," Caitlin insisted. "There are scattered residents in that area. Just go a little farther."

"Are you sure?" the superhero questioned.

"I'm sure."

"All right," Barry didn't sound convinced, but he stuffed his phone away and took off again in a sudden lightning streak. As he ran, the fog only got heavier. The 26 year old tried to pick up speed and clear his path, but the faster he ran, the more fog covered the region.

Slowing himself down this time, Barry could just barely see a foot in front of him when a loud screech from his right left him confused and his heartbeat's pace faster.

The Flash approached carefully, waving his arms about at a rapid speed to spread the fog in opposite directions. Nothing, not even a shadow, could be seen.

Opening his mouth to say something, Barry could only recall what good a 'hello' did in movies, and kept quiet.

The screech came again, duplicating in another form. Soon screeches surrounded Barry, and the hero was whipping his head around to try to spot something, anything. The shrill calls echoed off of countless, invisible objects and rang in the scientist's ears.

A peck on his shoulder had Barry brushing at the area, another on his thigh had him shaking his legs out, and still another on his eyebrow had the Flash fighting with the air — as nothing was there. Dozens of more pecks started nipping him at the same time, just painful enough to be obnoxious. The 26 year old flung his limbs around in all different directions, kicking and punching to try and hit whatever was attacking him.

A peck on the eye. Two pecks on his feet. Five pecks and a bite on his arm. The screeches cawed and laughed, whispering at each other as they produced another peck on the hero's stomach.

Barry swung furiously about until a soothing voice came out of the haze. The loud screams stopped, and the forensic scientist was left in silence. "Hello?" This time he had notable reason to speak. Someone was there; someone had allowed their presence be known to him.

"Barry," the voice was recognizable but near impossible to be hearing. It sent Barry back to his younger years to when he was a kid and his life was still in tact.

"Mom?" Flash's voice cracked as he removed his hoodie mask, and took a few paces towards her.

"My boy," his mother smiled, opening her arms wide. "You've gotten so handsome." Barry ran forward and was about to envelope his mother in a hug when she suddenly dissipated and a loud roar replaced her peaceful presence.

The growl was bone chilling. "Grodd." The monster of a gorilla flung itself out of the shadows and charged at Barry.

"The Scarlet Speedster," a menacing tone laughed at the same time. Barry swung himself around to see Captain Cold standing there with his ice gun and sidestepped as Grodd tumbled toward him.

"Leonard Snart?" the scientist grew confused.

"Hey, Barry," Cisco tapped him on the shoulder.

"Cisco? What are you-"

"Dude, I totally have an idea for an adaption on my suit-" Grodd smashed his large fist into the loveable scientist before he was able to finish his sentence.

"Cisco!" Barry was pummelled suddenly by an unknown source, his body flying backwards and smacking itself against a rock. A raging pain spiked up his spine, and blood started spilling from the deep cut on his side. The hero winced and groaned, clutching at his wound.

A domineering man walked up to him, his face clouded and almost erased from the Flash's vision, but he wore a yellow suit and his stance was arrogant. "The Flash," he spoke, his vocal cords vibrating. Barry tried to lift his head.

"You're dead," he moaned, flopping his swore neck back on the hard boulder.

"Not likely." At that moment, dozens of more people staggered towards the downed speedster. Leonard was amongst them, as was Grodd, but the rest were all the metas that Barry had helped put away. "We can never be stopped," the vibrating tone sneered. "We will always win, Barry Allen."

Panicking, the hero attempted to scramble to his feet, but instead opted for crawling away in a pitiful, injured degradation.

"Where do you think you can go?" the Reverse Flash asked. "You'll never escape us, _Flash_." Laughs raged all around, the powers of the metas looming over the fallen hero.

"No," Barry murmured, dragging himself beyond the rock in his useless escape.

* * *

Eli snickered, clapping his sister between her shoulder bones. "Have I ever told you that you're an artist?"

Sabena smiled slyly, turning to her twin. "I know."

The two metas were peeking around the side of the first of six houses scattered in the area, watching without feeling as the Flash lived a nightmare conjured up in the dark brain of the second twin herself. Her mind had connected to his the instant Elijah started hearing his thoughts, and being given information from her mind-reading brother, Sabena worked out the perfect fear imprisonment for the hero that only wanted to arrest them.

"I think that'll do," Elijah suggested. His sister seemed to refuse to end her mind torture, and the boy frowned in worry. He strained his eyes towards the Flash, who was writhing on the ground in a panic. "Bean, he's had enough."

"No," she growled quietly, focusing harder. "No, he's trying to interrupt our plan."

"And now he can't," Eli defended, knowing her couldn't reason with his stubborn sister. "Come on. We need to get the rest of the money, and we can't do that with you teasing the Flash."

Sabena cracked her knuckles, turning heel towards her twin in a fury. "You read the paper," she snapped. "You know what he does to people like us. I'm not going to prison, Eli. I'm just not."

"I know," Elijah said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, _I know_."

"It's not fair that you know my thoughts," Sabena complained, picking up the duffle shoved under the porch. "Nothing's personal."

"We're twins," Elijah laughed. "We're suppose to be well-connected."

"Whatever."

"Let's go," Eli sighed. "Mom can only hold on for so much longer. She needs her freedom."

"Okay," Sabena agreed, looking over at the hero once more. He was collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily as he tried to process what had just happened.

"I hear he heals fast, so we need to hurry," Sabena mused.

"The brain heals slower than any physical wound," Elijah said.

"Even so."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait! I lost muse and needed time to regain it for this fanfic. I'm done school for the year, so I'll have time to write things up if my muse allows me. Thanks for your patience and support(:**

 **KDesai - Sorry that I've been taking so many breaks! I didn't know my muse would be so crappy for this fanfic when I started(: I won't give up on it. Thanks so so so much! Million thanks for your support and sorry for the Barry angst(:**

 **Silver's Dream100 - I KNOW! Sorry! Barry angst should be labelled as a warning**

* * *

Caitlin hovered over Barry, who was shaking uncontrollably in the medical bed. "We need to do an immediate scan of his brain function," the scientist confirmed, turning to her fellow co-worker. Cisco had blanked. He stared at Barry in worry. "Cisco."

"Huh?"

"We need to do a scan," she repeated.

"Now? Look at him, Cait," Cisco gestured to the 26 year old hero. Barry was bug-eyed and blabbering nonsense words just for the sake of it. Caitlin did look, but instead of compassion, her eyes glazed over and held no emotion.

"We need to catch the brain cells at their earliest so we have a chance to get these twins into custody," she confirmed in a monotone. The doctor nodded once, convincing herself that work was above worry. She placed a warm hand on Barry's cheek and, with the other, flashed a light in his corneas. The hero shivered, shrinking from Caitlin's touch.

"Cait, what if—"

"Cisco! Stop, okay," she growled. "Barry's gonna be fine. Everything is going to be fine." Those words had little hope and comfort in them since they were the exact opposite of how the scientist felt. Too much had happened to her to have confidence now. Her mentor turned out to be evil, her fiancé died and then came back to become her husband only to die again, and now one of the only friends she had left was writhing in his place. She had seen the effects of these metas, and she had very little hope towards the outcome. Even if Barry did heal fast, mental wounds were much harder to put behind you than any physical blow.

Caitlin Snow ought to know.

"Barry!" the cry of Iris jolted the doctor back to reality and her task.

"Iris, stay back," Caitlin warned, eyeing the Flash. His mouth was gaped and he zipped his gaze around the room as if he was still seeing things.

Iris was not about to listen. She ran forward, forcing Cisco to restrain her a foot before she was able to reach her best friend. "Iris, you can't," the scientist stated. He looked behind him. "Barry—"

"What happened?" Joe demanded sternly from the entrance. The way he looked at the two, it made Cisco feel blamed for what happened.

"The twins," Cisco murmured lowly. "The Mental Twins." Joe glared at him.

"This isn't a joke."

"I know," Cisco looked kind of offended.

Iris tried to squirm out of Cisco's hold, tearing up at the sight of her adopted brother. "How could this happen?" She sounded defeated.

"Barry went in unprepared—" Caitlin murmured.

"Don't blame him," Iris snapped. Cait was taken aback.

"I'm not," she defended. "I'm explaining—" Iris closed her eyes for a brief moment, shaking her head.

"Sorry, it's just, I can't deal with this again," the reporter explained, pinching the bridge of her nose. Caitlin smiled sadly.

"I know, but—" The woman was interrupted by a sudden gasp as Barry sat up straight with a panic in his eyes. "Barry." Cait reached out a hand to calm him, but the forensic scientist screamed and flung the covers off of himself. "No no no." Caitlin grabbed Barry by the arm as he stumbled past her, eyes misty and mouth gaped.

"Go away!" The Flash yelled, pulling his arm to try to break free from Caitlin. "Go away! You're not real! You're dead. She's dead. He's gone. It's gone. Leave me be." The 26 year old shrunk away from her grasp, yanking it out of her hold and crying out as he stared at something in Cait that wasn't her.

"What do you see, Barry?" the doctor inside of Cait prodded, needing a straight answer for once. "What is it that is making your scared?" Barry shook his head violently, tugging at the roots of his hair. "Let me help you. I can help you." Caitlin opened her arms wide and stretched out her hands in surrender as she approached the speedster.

"Bare," Joe spoke up, touching Caitlin's shoulder to draw her back. Barry lifted a shaky finger and pointed at Joe with an unrecognized look at who he really was. "Bare? Son?" Barry vibrated, backing up slowly.

"Dude, it's alright," Cisco attempted.

"You can't," Barry murmured. "I won. You're in prison. You're dead. You're gone. It's not real. I had won." Cait pursed her lips and her forehead crinkled together with worry.

"What do you see? Barry, can you hear me?" she asked, stepping forward only to have Barry take three massive ones back. "Barry." Cait tried to make her voice softer and sound less like a medical professional and more like a friend, but gazing into his eyes, she realized nothing would matter. He was living in a different, alternate world and he would continue to be blind to reality until whatever happened to him wore off . . . if it wore off.

"I've got to get out of here," Barry groaned to himself, tucking his hands under his armpits and darting his eyes around the room. "They're back! They're back!" He flung his body around, trying to dodge and avoid an invisible torture being depicted. Joe ran ahead and thrust his arms around his son, trying to steady him.

"Joe, don't—" Cisco started to warn, but it was too late. The forensic scientist cried out, jolting Joe with a high speed punch and speeding out of the room in a flash of wind. "do that."

"Great," Caitlin groaned, rubbing at her temples without a seeming care about losing the person over losing the solution. Cisco knew differently merely because he knew Cait. She was sick to her stomach with concern about her friend, which was why work came first.

"Will he come back?" Iris asked.

"Probably not," Cisco said.

"This place is labelled evil to him now," Caitlin sighed. "He's going to be running from his nightmare, so he won't be back here."

"Dad," Iris turned to her father. "Put an APB out."

"There's no way to catch a panicking speedster, Iris," Joe murmured. "Our focus should be on bringing those two metas in. Now."

"But, Barry—" Iris stumbled. "He's afraid. He's confused."

"He'll be fine," Joe reassured.

"You're an awful liar," Iris complained, strutting out of the lab and down the hallway in a blind attempt to see if her knowledge of journalism could remotely help her best friend. Joe sighed, but he stayed where he was.

"We need to get those two," he stated firmly. Cisco nodded, popping a lollipop into his mouth and rushing to his workspace. Cait hovered a moment.

"I've never seen him like that," she mumbled gloomily, eyes straining nowhere. Joe stepped towards her and drew her into a hug.

"I have. Maybe not so . . . crazy and loud, but I've seen Barry that afraid," Joe said. "And there's a part of me that still sees a scared little boy whenever he runs into a fight." Caitlin sniffled, a tear streaking unwillingly down her cheek. The doctor wiped it quickly. "Don't be ashamed to show emotion." Joe pushed her away and gripped her shoulders. "Barry ran from his feelings for a long time when his mom died. It doesn't help." Cait nodded.

"Thanks, Joe," she smiled, blinking a little as a small tear followed.

"Anytime, ."

"Caitlin," the woman suggested, wobbling to her desk and rebooting her system.

"Caitlin, then," Joe laughed, following her.

* * *

Barry gasped and ran. He ran and ran; he didn't want to stop running. His enemies were tracing behind him, laughing and chatting to each other and plotting his demise. The Flash ran. He pumped his arms and listened to the vibrating beat of his heart.

"Stop! Go away!" he screamed, peeking behind him to check if they were still keeping up. As soon as his eyes were diverted, his right foot strayed beyond its path and tripped up the left. The speedster tumbled to the ground, sprawling on the nearly deserted sidewalk. He groaned and grasped his side.

"The Flash indeed," Captain Cold chuckled, slowly walking up to the fallen hero. "You can't even stay on your feet."

"You're not real," Barry hissed, wincing.

"Oh, he's very real," Reverse Flash laughed with his vibrating vocals. "We all are." The metas surrounded him once more, and Grodd's loud growl sounded from the back of the crowd.

"No," Barry denied, covering his ears and shutting his eyes. For a moment, things went silent and he felt free. The forensic scientist licked his lips and reopened one eye.

"Still here," Reverse Flash said, his face an inch from Barry's. "We will never leave. Do you really think it's easy to get rid of us a second time around?"

"I'll just— I'll just beat you again," Barry said determinedly. "I've done it once." The others laughed in chorus. "Stop it! Stop laughing!"

"Sir?" a woman came up to him on the sidewalk, completely bypassing the surrounding metas. Barry frowned. Why wasn't she afraid of them? "Sir, are you okay?"

"Can't you see them?" Barry asked, handing clasping to the woman's arm. "That doesn't matter. I'll protect you, get behind me!"

"Sir?" the woman looked confused.

"Look," Barry pointed to Captain Cold, the Reverse Flash, and the rest. The woman did so, but twisted back around with a still confused look. Maybe her brain couldn't handle it and it had shut down her fear. "Ma'am, I will save you."

"Okay," the woman nodded with a slight smile. "You protect me while I reach for my phone. I think I know people who can help you— us. Kay?" The 26 year old didn't have to think twice. Help was exactly what he needed.

"Tell them to bring guns," he looked at the metas again. "A lot. There's so many of them."

"Poor soul," the lady murmured quietly, dialling an unknown number. She placed it to her ear and waited for the answer. Barry fisted his hands, got up, and punched at what he thought was Captain Cold.

"Oh, nice hit," Leonard chuckled, grasping his nose and punching back. Barry flung his head backwards as the blow hit.

The lady knitted her eyebrows together as the man she just met whacked at the air, gasping as a voice finally spoke on the other end of the phone. "Yes, hello? I'm with a man who I believe needs help. He's seeing people—" The woman glanced at Barry. "Come quickly. I fear he might take off."


End file.
